Big Ten Fall 2021

[Kingsley]

While contemplating Maryland's fate, I found a random thing that I missed from a couple days ago. The sites of the two matches between Maryland and Rutgers have been flipped. The Terps are now hosting Rutgers on Oct. 20 before traveling to Rutgers on Halloween.

I've made the change to The Matrix.

[AmeriCanVBfan]

Aug 8, 2021 19:39:12 GMT -5 Kingsley said:

While contemplating Maryland's fate, I found a random thing that I missed from a couple days ago. The sites of the two matches between Maryland and Rutgers have been flipped. The Terps are now hosting Rutgers on Oct. 20 before traveling to Rutgers on Halloween.

I've made the change to The Matrix.

Thanks Kingsley, I hope you properly feared the turtle!

[Kingsley]

    Maryland Terrapins

Spring 2021 Overall Record: 5-15

Conference Record: 5-15 (T-11th)

NCAA Tournament Placement: N/A (Last tournament appearance: 2005 -- Second Round)

Final AVCA Ranking: NR



Head Coach: Adam Hughes (4th season at Maryland)

Record at Maryland: 36-48



Returning Starters:

Rainelle Jones - SR, 6'3 MB

Lexy Finnerty - JR, 5'7 DS/L

Cara Lewis - JR, 6'1 MB

Sam Csire - SO, 6'0 OH



Departures (* denotes starter):

Nicole Alford* - 6'1 S (Grad transfer to Missouri)

Sam Burgio* - 5'10 L (Transfer to Ole Miss)

Jada Gardner* - 6'1 MB/RS (Grad transfer to Texas State)

Chloe Prejean - 5'9 S

Erika Pritchard* - 6'3 OH (Grad transfer to Penn State)

Rebekah Rath* - JR, 6'0 OH (Transfer to Auburn)

Hailey Rubino - 5'11 OH/DS



Incoming Players:

Erin Engel - FR, 5'9 S/DS

Milan Gomillion - FR, 5'5 DS/L

Zoe Huang - FR, 5'5 S/DS

Lexi Kohut - GRAD, 6'0 OH (Grad transfer from Appalachian State)

Paula Neciporuka - GRAD, 5'9 OH (Grad transfer from VCU)

Kaylee Thomas - GRAD, 5'8 DS/L (Transfer from Alabama)

Hannah Thompson - GRAD, 5'9 MB (Grad transfer from Notre Dame)

Ellie Watson - FR, 6'1 MB/RS


Spring 2021 Recap:

Maryland opened the spring slate with a less-than-forgiving series of opponents, with Ohio State, Minnesota, and Nebraska occupying the first six spots on the schedule. Perhaps even more unfortunate was how painfully close the Terps came to knocking off the Buckeyes in the opening weekend. Both matches in Columbus went to five sets but Maryland failed to take the win in either matchup.

The Terps were overmatched against Minnesota and Nebraska despite a few competitive sets and one set victory over the Huskers. A disappointing home series against Michigan State quickly left Maryland at 0-8.

Maryland finally began to find wins in the latter half of the season. It started with a bizarre five-set win at Michigan. After the series against Penn State was axed, the Terps split with Indiana and won both meetings against Iowa. Similar success could not be found against Illinois or Rutgers, but a split with Northwestern closed out a 5-15 campaign.


The Lineup:

None of Maryland's Spring 2021 seniors chose to use their extra year of eligibility in College Park. All-B1G performer Erika Pritchard makes the move to conference rival Penn State. Opposite Jada Gardner is returning to her Texas roots, and Nicole Alford will set for Missouri. Multi-year starting libero Sam Burgio is moving to Ole Miss. Moreover, junior Rebekah Rath has transferred to Auburn after plenty of starting experience in her two years with the Terps.

The moral of the story here is that Fall 2021 Maryland will not be much like Spring 2021 Maryland. There's not a ton of Big Ten teams that fit that description, but the Terrapins are a largely a new team this fall.

Maryland obviously had to do a lot in the offseason to atone for all the roster losses. How about eight newcomers? Hughes and Co. bring in four grad transfers in addition to the four freshmen coming in this fall.

Maybe we can piece this thing together if we start with the constants. Rainelle Jones and Cara Lewis return after starting at middle blocker last season. Middle might be the strength of the team, in fact, with sophomore Laila Ricks, true freshman Ellie Watson, and Notre Dame grad transfer Hannah Thompson joining the fray. I wouldn't be surprised if one of the backup middles shifted over to the vacant spot on the right side.

Sydney Dowler will likely be the starting setter. Junior Lexy Finnerty will compete for the libero spot alongside Alabama grad transfer Kaylee Thomas.

The left-side hitter spot is a big question mark. I expect sophomore Sam Csire to play all the way around as one of the team's outsides. As for the other outside, there's a lot of new faces to choose from. Perhaps the Terps will go with one of the grad students: either Paula Neciporuka (VCU) or Lexi Kohut (Appalachian State). This team really struggled with passing last season, and the coaching staff will hope to get better results with a ton of new pin hitters. Adjusting to the level of play in the Big Ten will be difficult.


The Schedule:

Maryland hasn't released its non-conference schedule yet (yawn), but that won't stop the internet from putting the pieces together.

It's a very Maryland-esque non-conference schedule. That means it's weak sauce. Their best opponent is probably Temple. Or Howard.

And here's Maryland's conference draw. Avoiding double dips with Wisconsin, Purdue, and Nebraska isn't the worst thing ever.

Home + Away	Home	Away

The Verdict:

This team is in a tough spot. After several departures from the spring squad, an assortment of grad transfers and freshmen have to fill the void. Maryland will likely pad the win column with a very weak non-conference schedule, but I'd advise withholding much judgment until late September. Big Ten play is an entirely different animal.

If the Terps want to return to, say, 2017 standards, it's going to take a few good recruiting cycles. Unless one of the new additions totally shocks us all, the absolute highest ceiling for this team in 2021 is probably an 11th- or 12th-place finish in the B1G.

[Kingsley]

For tomorrow's preview, the RNG machine has decided:

[2016vbmom]

Kyla Kenney no longer listed on Indiana Roster. Originally had her as # 9. Anyone have an update? Maybe because of Paula Cerame or other DS transfers??

[Deleted]

Aug 9, 2021 12:51:28 GMT -5 2016vbmom said:

Kyla Kenney no longer listed on Indiana Roster. Originally had her as # 9. Anyone have an update? Maybe because of Paula Cerame or other DS transfers??

She will no longer be playing at IU. Just attending school.

[SportyBucky]

Jun 22, 2021 14:29:10 GMT -5 @madden54 said:

Jun 22, 2021 14:25:17 GMT -5 gophervbfan said:

B1G looks stacked this season. You would have to expect some deep tournament runs by several teams.

wasn’t that the consensus last year when only one team barely made it into the FF and then got swept ?

You sure are an unattractive person.

[hangonsloopy]

Aug 2, 2021 14:25:26 GMT -5 Brutus Buckeye said:

The Hoosiers are ready to go. 

Has there been any info about why Blackwell and Stockham transferred? Huge loss for that squad 

[Kingsley]

TV SCHEDULE

(times Eastern)

Aug. 27 (Fri.) Minnesota vs. Baylor (@wisconsin) ESPNU 9:30 p.m.

Aug. 28 (Sat.) Kansas State at Nebraska BTN 5 p.m.

Aug. 28 (Sat.) Baylor at Wisconsin BTN 7 p.m.

Aug. 28 (Sat.) Minnesota vs. TCU (@wisconsin) BTN 9:30 p.m.

Sept. 1 (Wed.) Texas at Minnesota BTN 8 p.m.

Sept. 3 (Fri.) Georgia at Nebraska BTN 7 p.m.

Sept. 3 (Fri.) Washington at Illinois BTN 9 p.m.

Sept. 10 (Fri.) NC State at Rutgers BTN 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 10 (Fri.) Kentucky at Wisconsin BTN 9 p.m.

Sept. 18 (Sat.) Louisville at Nebraska BTN 8 p.m.

Sept. 19 (Sun.) Notre Dame at Ohio State ESPN2 2 p.m.

Sept. 22 (Wed.) Illinois at Iowa BTN 7 p.m.

Sept. 22 (Wed.) Nebraska at Northwestern BTN 9 p.m.

Sept. 24 (Fri.) Ohio State at Purdue BTN 7 p.m.

Sept. 24 (Fri.) Michigan at Minnesota BTN 9 p.m.

Sept. 26 (Sun.) Ohio State at Penn State BTN 4 p.m.

Sept. 29 (Wed.) Indiana at Ohio State BTN 6 p.m.

Sept. 29 (Wed.) Penn State at Maryland BTN 8 p.m.

Oct. 1 (Fri.) Michigan at Nebraska BTN 7 p.m.

Oct. 1 (Fri.) Minnesota at Wisconsin BTN 9 p.m.

Oct. 3 (Sun.) Michigan State at Nebraska BTN 4 p.m.

Oct. 6 (Wed.) Iowa at Wisconsin BTN 7 p.m.

Oct. 6 (Wed.) Purdue at Illinois BTN 9 p.m.

Oct. 8 (Fri.) Nebraska at Penn State BTN 7 p.m.

Oct. 8 (Fri.) Minnesota at Michigan BTN 9 p.m.

Oct. 9 (Sat.) Illinois at Wisconsin BTN 8 p.m.

Oct. 13 (Wed.) Northwestern at Minnesota BTN 8 p.m.

Oct. 13 (Wed.) Indiana at Nebraska ESPNU 9 p.m.

Oct. 15 (Fri.) Purdue at Ohio State BTN 6 p.m.

Oct. 15 (Fri.) Wisconsin at Michigan State BTN 8 p.m.

Oct. 17 (Sun.) Penn State at Purdue ESPN2 2 p.m.

Oct. 20 (Wed.) Rutgers at Maryland BTN 6 p.m.

Oct. 20 (Wed.) Michigan State at Purdue BTN 8 p.m.

Oct. 22 (Fri.) Penn State at Minnesota BTN 7 p.m.

Oct. 22 (Fri.) Ohio State at Wisconsin BTN 9 p.m.

Oct. 23 (Sat.) Penn State at Wisconsin BTN TBD

Oct. 23 (Sat.) Purdue at Nebraska BTN TBD

Oct. 24 (Sun.) Ohio State at Minnesota ESPNU 5 p.m.

Oct. 27 (Wed.) Minnesota at Indiana BTN 7 p.m.

Oct. 27 (Wed.) Wisconsin at Nebraska BTN 9 p.m.

Oct. 29 (Fri.) Illinois at Rutgers BTN TBD

Oct. 30 (Sat.) Nebraska at Minnesota BTN 8 p.m.

Oct. 31 (Sun.) Wisconsin at Purdue ESPNU Noon

Nov. 4 (Thurs.) Minnesota at Ohio State BTN 7 p.m.

Nov. 4 (Thurs.) Nebraska at Illinois BTN 9 p.m.

*Nov. 6 (Sat.) TBD vs. TBD BTN TBD

Nov. 14 (Sun.) Purdue at Minnesota BTN 3 p.m.

Nov. 19 (Fri.) Michigan at Purdue BTN 7 p.m.

Nov. 19 (Fri.) Penn State at Nebraska BTN 9 p.m.

Nov. 21 (Sun.) Penn State at Ohio State BTN 3 p.m.

Nov. 21 (Sun.) Wisconsin at Minnesota BTN 5 p.m.

Nov. 26 (Fri.) Nebraska at Wisconsin BTN 5:30 p.m.

Nov. 26 (Fri.) Minnesota at Penn State BTN 7:30 or 8 p.m.

[Kingsley]

Two televised Rutgers home matches! Pigs are flying!

[Deleted]

Adding onto that

Creighton-Nebraska will be on FS1
Stanford-Nebraska will be on Pac-12 Network

[bruinsgold]

Kingsley -- I only count 8 Purdue matches. Do you have the number to the home office? I need to get this fixed 🤔

[AmeriCanVBfan]

Thanks for your take on Maryland.
Dowler will be the starting setter and don't be surprised if Milan Gomillion makes her way into the lineup as the Libero.
Their middles are better than average so if they can pass they may do better than expected.

[Kingsley]

Aug 10, 2021 10:41:44 GMT -5 bruinsgold said:

Kingsley -- I only count 8 Purdue matches. Do you have the number to the home office? I need to get this fixed 🤔

No Purdue @ Wisconsin Nov. 12, or Nebraska @ Purdue Nov. 27? No televised matches on Nov. 27 at all? That ain't right.

[bprtbone]

TV Appearance Count (check my math!):

Minnesota	15
Nebraska	14
Wisconsin	12
Ohio State	9
Penn State	9
Purdue	9
Illinois	6
Michigan	4
Indiana	3
Michigan State	3
Rutgers	3
Iowa	2
Maryland	2
Northwestern	2